IndyCar | Race 2 | Iowa | Palou takes seventh win of 2025 as Newgarden falls victim to badly timed cautions - Motorsport

Spread the love

Round 12 of the 2025 IndyCar season is in the books as race 2 at Iowa has been completed, full report and results below.

A few hours before race 2 at Iowa, it was confirmed that Nolan Siegel was declared unfit by the IndyCar medical team following his late race crash yesterday. He was due to start P5. FOX reported it was because of a mild concussion.

Championship leader Alex Palou started on pole. Yesterday’s race winner Pato O’Ward rolled off from 9th after Siegel’s demise. Scott McLaughlin was at the back once again, could he make another monster charge through the field?

Disaster for McLaughlin

After Scott McLaughlin made a brilliant start to gain three spots, Devlin DeFrancesco would bring his race to an early end. As the Canadian spun heading into turn 4, he collected the New Zealander as McLaughlin was going for the high line like he did in turns 1 and 2. Both picked up damage and their days were done.

Near the front, Josef Newgarden overtook Malukas for P3, with O’Ward clearing Dixon for 7th before the yellows.

The other Penskes start to move forward

After a superb side-by-side battle for a couple of laps, Power cleared Malukas for P4. A couple of laps later, Newgarden did the same to Rosenqvist for 2nd.

More pain for Penske

Just as Will Power looked to be lining up the cars in front, he suddenly slowed as the Aussie lost power. He made it back to the box.

On lap 27 it was elbows out between Santino Ferrucci and Christian Rasmussen, with their right and left front tyres making contact. Luckily for both, they could continue without any issues.

After the leaders caught the backmarkers, Felix Rosenqvist lost out to David Malukas on lap 39. In the fight for P5, O’Ward overtook Daly for ten laps later.

When the race reached lap 50, Palou led Newgarden, Malukas, Rosenqvist, O’Ward, Daly, Armstrong, Dixon, Shwartzman and Rossi.

A second caution appears

Between turns 1 and 2, Sting Ray Robb lost the car and had a sizeable impact with the rear into the safter barrier like Siegel yesterday.

After the leaders pitted under yellows for fuel and tyres, Palou, Newgarden, Malukas stayed as the top 3. The Penske and AJ Foyt drivers survived potential unsafe releases.

O’Ward jumped Rosenqvist for 4th, with Armstrong and Dixon getting ahead of Daly. Rossi also leaped ahead of Shwartzman.

Unfortunately for Shwartzman, the PREMA driver sped in the pits and was sent to the back of the field. The race restarted on lap 65.

Six-time Iowa winner Josef Newgarden soon got himself to the front as he swept around the outside of Alex Palou into turn 4. A driver to lose out was Marcus Armstrong as Dixon and Daly overtook him as the MSR driver fell to 8th. Daly then passed the six-time champion for 6th as he used the high line once again.

Rasmussen and Ferrucci crossed paths again, with the Dane taking 15th. Meanwhile Shwartzman overtook Kirkwood, Simpson, VeeKay and Abel to make his way up to P18.

On lap 100/275, Newgarden led Palou, Malukas, O’Ward, Rosenqvist, Daly, Dixon, Armstrong, Rossi and Herta. The Andretti driver came from P19 on the grid.

Ericsson tyre failure leaves Newgarden exposed

With Newgarden carving through the traffic, Palou and Malukas went at it for multiple laps. Despite lots of attacking, the CGR driver somehow fended off the AJ Foyt racer on three separate occasions.

Race leader Josef Newgarden boxed at the end of lap 129. Incredibly, there was a caution seconds later as the right front tyre of Marcus Ericsson looked to have given in. It was a very similar incident to Kyle Kirkwood yesterday.

As the Team Penske driver was a lap down under caution, it dropped him outside of the top 10 when the leaders pitted. He fell all the way down to 13th.

Palou, Malukas, O’Ward, Rosenqvist, Daly, Armstrong, Dixon, Rossi, Herta and Rasmussen was the top 10 once the action resumed on lap 143.

Once again Conor Daly used the restart to make places as he overtook Felix Rosenqvist for P4. Newgarden made up two spots for 11th.

Colton Herta had a solid clip of the wall after looking to pass Alex Rossi who struggled with understeer into turn 2. The Andretti driver then lost out to Rasmussen and Newgarden.

Callum Ilott got hit with a drive-through penalty for not staying in the line on the restart, putting him a lap down.

The yellows appear again

At the end of lap 176, Callum Ilott crashed for a second straight day as the rear let go in turn 4, although the impact was not as severe as Siegel’s.

As pretty much everyone in the field pitted for fuel and tyres, Kyle Kirkwood stayed out and led. Palou, Malukas, Daly, O’Ward, Armstrong, Dixon, Newgarden, Rasmussen and Herta was the top 10 after those stops. Newgarden jumped the ECR cars. Felix Rosenqvist had a terrible stop, plummeting to 14th. It went green again on lap 191.

Newgarden had an unbelievable restart, passing Armstrong, Dixon and O’Ward to move up to 5th.

Despite a supreme effort, Kyle Kirkwood eventually had to cede the lead to Alex Palou. From there he was a sitting duck. Malukas and Daly quickly cleared him. As Newgarden had a look, he got checked up and O’Ward took P5 from him.

Multiple pieces of contact

There was contact between Armstrong and Dixon in turn 3 in the battle for 8th. The MSR driver failed to leave sufficient space and Dixon clipped his front wing against the left rear of his car. Both continued but the six-time champion lost out to Ferrucci and Rossi.

Not for the first time in the race, Ferrucci had contact, this time with Herta as they awkwardly had a tangle in turn 2. The Andretti driver got high but avoided the wall.

After a valiant effort, Kirkwood eventually had to concede to O’Ward and Newgarden, with the Penske driver also clearing the Mexican off camera for P4.

With 56 laps to go, Newgarden drove past Daly into turn 3 to take 3rd. On lap 228, O’Ward did the same but he fell to 5s behind his rival.

The Josef Newgarden express continued space. He closed down a 5s gap rapidly, passing Malukas into turn 3 on lap 236 of 275. Five laps later, he got a superb run as they were in the backmarkers and made a firm but fair move on Palou. The Spaniard got high in turn 2 and Malukas followed the Penske through.

On lap 247, Malukas and Daly boxed, with Newgarden and O’Ward both coming in two laps later. The AJ Foyt driver got the jump on Newgarden as the left rear was slow on.

A race changing moment

With just over 20 laps to go, Colton Herta had a tyre pop. It was a complete disaster for Malukas, Newgarden and O’Ward.

Palou, Armstrong, Shwartzman, Dixon, Lundgaard and Rosenqvist got a free stop under caution. The #9 crew got Dixon ahead of Shwartzman for P3. Malukas, Newgarden and O’Ward dropped to P8, P9 and P10. Rinus VeeKay was P7 as Dale Coyne decided not to pit. It left the Dutchman on very old tyres.

Scott Dixon made quick work of Armstrong on the restart. After Lundgaard had cleared Shwartzman for P4, the PREMA fought back. Newgarden initially made up three spots but once he got checked up behind Rosenqvist, he lost all pace and Malukas, O’Ward and Rasmussen.

Unfortunately for Shwartzman, he got swallow up in the final few laps as Malukas, O’Ward, Lundgaard, Rosenqvist and Rasmussen all passed him.

Out front, Alex Palou survived a small scare with the struggling Graham Rahal to take his seventh win of the 2025 IndyCar season. Teammate Scott Dixon was P2, with Marcus Armstrong completing the podium.

Malukas, O’Ward, Lundgaard, Rosenqvist, Rasmussen, Shwartzman and Newgarden rounded out the top 10.